


Hands for a Bridge

by alba17



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-23
Updated: 2010-07-23
Packaged: 2017-10-10 18:31:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/102782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alba17/pseuds/alba17
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a dangerous encounter with a deadly beast, in full view of all of Camelot, Arthur takes Merlin's hand and thanks him.  Merlin is unsure what it means, but Arthur is only too willing to explain. A reveal fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hands for a Bridge

**Author's Note:**

> Written for prompt: _Arthur/Merlin, holding hands in the courtyard for all to see_. This goes far beyond the prompt. :D Thanks to troygirl68 for the beta. Also thanks to everyone at cheer_me_on at LiveJournal for doing just that, and to zafra for earlier feedback.

Merlin felt Arthur's hand nudge his. At first he thought it was a mistake; that Arthur had just bumped into him as Merlin gathered their things in the middle of the bustling courtyard. So he ignored it and continued to shove things into a rucksack and keep an eye on all the armour and gear that Arthur was shedding, heedless of where they landed.

Once he'd gotten rid of his excess equipment, Arthur became unnaturally still in the midst of the hubbub of their return. This latest magical creature had been particularly harrowing. The hunt and subsequent fight had taken a lot out of Arthur, and Merlin too, although Arthur didn't know about that part. As far as Arthur knew, he and the rest of their party had been magically sent into a deep sleep by the creature's noxious fumes, whereas, in reality, Merlin had barely managed to kill the thing, summoning the full range of his power to give it a death blow. All in all, it was a close call.

He was just as exhausted as Arthur, but he tried not to show it. When Arthur caught his eye, Merlin flashed him a little smile, the one he was vaguely aware he reserved for Arthur alone, although he'd never admit it. Arthur stared at him for a moment, then gave him his own reluctant smile, while busying himself with his horse, patting it on the neck and leaning his head against it briefly.

The courtyard was ablaze with activity in the wake of their arrival, the regular business of the court augmented by courtiers and knights welcoming them back, the servants taking charge of horses and equipment. News of their victory over the beast quickly spread through the city, and people were pouring into the courtyard to see what was going on and find out what had happened. The clamour echoed off the stones of the castle.

Merlin could see Uther emerging on a balcony above them. "Arthur," he hissed, getting his attention. "Your father," he gestured up to the balcony. Arthur turned to look and Uther waved, nodding his approval with a paternal smile. Arthur nodded and waved back, his expression conveying that all was well. Arthur had sent a messenger ahead with the news, but Uther was undoubtedly relieved to see his son alive and well in person.

Arthur gave a few curt greetings to members of the court, briefly reciting what had happened and reassuring them that everyone had survived in good health. In between these exchanges, he kept looking over to Merlin, who was hovering on the edge of the group, still putting Arthur's things in order. When Arthur had finally satisfied everyone's immediate concerns and dismissed them in a manner that brooked no argument, he turned to Merlin, the outside of his hand brushing up against Merlin's once again. "Merlin," he said in a low, yet insistent tone.

Did he want something? Why didn't he just say so? Merlin thought. Arthur was looking at him in a strangely intent fashion. Arthur briefly glanced back up at Uther, then around the courtyard, as if assessing the situation. He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder and tried to usher him over to the side of the courtyard, out of the bustling crowd.

"Arthur, I just need to get these last few things together, then we can..." Merlin was turning to pick up some gear when Arthur took hold of his hand and squeezed.

What was he doing? Arthur had touched Merlin plenty of times, resting his hand on his shoulder in conversation, thumping him on the chest to make a point, or slinging an arm around his shoulder in the occasional moment of camaraderie. As master and servant, they shared physically intimate moments every day, given that Merlin changed Arthur's clothes and prepared his bath. Not to mention the occasional hauling out of a lake.

But Arthur had never held his hand before. It was large and warm, his grasp strong and sure; the skin was rough in spots with calluses from years of sword-fighting. Merlin gaped at him and Arthur slid his fingers between his, squeezing again. Even though his heart was doing a mad jig in this chest and he hadn't the faintest idea what was going on, Merlin squeezed back, as if this were the most natural thing in the world to be doing in the middle of Camelot's courtyard in front of what seemed to be the entire populace.

"What?" Merlin finally managed to stutter out, his throat dry.

Arthur's gaze faltered momentarily before it locked onto Merlin's eyes. "Thank you." Merlin's thoughts veered wildly, trying to imagine what Arthur was thanking him for. Arthur was staring at him, clearly trying to convey _something_. "For everything you do for me," Arthur continued, still with the significant glance. When Merlin continued to look mystified, he said, "For heaven's sake, Merlin, don't be an idiot. I'm talking about saving my life! With your...," he flapped his hand in the air and continued more quietly, "that thing you do. _With the eyes._" He looked around stealthily.

At that point, Merlin's stomach flew into his throat and he had to remind himself to breathe. Yes, Arthur was talking about that thing he did practically every week – save his life _with magic_, which happened to be illegal and punishable by death...

...by Uther, who was still surveying the scene from the balcony. Merlin was suddenly aware that they were still holding hands, and probably by this time, everyone else had noticed too. Bugger. But he was too shocked by what Arthur had said to notice what was going on around them. He was glued to the spot, unable to move. Arthur was telling him that he _knew about his magic_. And it was okay. Merlin couldn't pull his hand away and he found he had no desire to.

His magic was not just acceptable, but apparently something Arthur appreciated and wanted to thank Merlin for, _by holding his hand in front of all of Camelot, including his father_. The world was suddenly turned topsy-turvy.

"Umm, well, er..." For once, Merlin was speechless. "It's, well, my pleasure." Yeah, that wasn't exactly the right word to use in this instance, but who could expect articulate speech when your master has caught you out in illegal activities and decided to hold your hand in a weirdly intimate fashion instead of sending you to the dungeon?

"I just wanted you to know it was okay." Arthur glanced up at the balcony, _still holding Merlin's hand_ \- apparently he wasn't letting go any time soon – "and I won't, er, well, let's just say, I'm good at keeping secrets." He gave Merlin a meaningful look. Then he started rubbing his thumb gently across Merlin's palm. Good God. Merlin suddenly felt flushed and was having a hard time thinking about anything other than how exquisitely sensitive his palm seemed to be.

"Sire." Leon appeared seemingly out of nowhere to stand at attention in front of Arthur, who continued to hold Merlin's hand, much to his mortification. The thumb-rubbing slowed but didn't stop, and it was even more teasingly exciting that way. Leon flicked his gaze down to where their hands were joined, then immediately back up with nary a twitch in his expression. Merlin felt his cheeks burn. The only way he could continue to stand there and behave as if this were a normal everyday occurrence was to stare at the ground and think about that time he saw Gaius naked. That image invariably served as a sobering influence.

"Sire, what time should the men report tomorrow?"

"Since this was a rough one, they may take the morning off and report to the practice fields in the afternoon," Arthur replied smoothly. Merlin supposed the ability to behave princely even while discretely massaging his hand was something royals learned at an early age.

Leon nodded and took his leave, directing a curious glance at Merlin as he turned to go. Merlin inwardly cringed. As soon as Leon was gone, Arthur pulled Merlin by the hand (naturally) into a quiet alcove off the main courtyard, and Merlin was once again wondering where all this was going and what the hell was going through Arthur's mind. And was he really safe or was Arthur going to throw him into the dungeon after all this hand-holding was over?

Arthur crowded him into the wall with a predatory gleam in his eye and, finally letting go of Merlin's hand (which had become extremely sensitive under Arthur's touch and was already missing it), braced his arms on the wall to either side of Merlin's head. "Merlin." His voice was deep and somehow, insinuating.

They were both breathing faster than normal. Merlin felt a breath-taking rush of fear and panic and desire swirling around in a mess of emotions that left him dizzy; his heart almost pounding out of his chest. "Ye-e-e-s?" Merlin was shrinking away from Arthur – he couldn't really help it given Arthur's menacing stance.

Arthur seemed to sense he was overdoing it and he put one hand on Merlin's shoulder. "I just..." He paused. "The thing you do." He delicately traced the thin skin of Merlin's eye socket; apparently he couldn't bring himself to put a name to it. "I'm...I'm interested in it." He curled his hand around Merlin's shoulder and gave it a small caress. "I want to know how you do it."

Merlin sucked in a breath and his eyes skittered around the dark alcove, as if trying to find an escape route. He couldn't. He just couldn't talk about that with Arthur; at all. The very thought of it made him tremble. There was something too intimate and private about it. His mother had taught him from an early age that he must never tell anyone about his magic and the only time a non-magical person found out – Will – it hadn't gone well. Even though Arthur seemed to be fine with it, a lifetime of secrecy couldn't be undone that easily. Besides, Merlin wasn't even sure how to describe how his magic worked. Most of the time, he directed his mind in a certain way, chanted a spell, and it just happened. Did he even have the words to describe it?

As Merlin contemplated Arthur's demand, he became increasingly aware of how close Arthur was. His chest was only a few inches from Merlin's and his scent, that mix of leather, chainmail and the tang of wood smoke, was heady and close. A hank of blond hair fell into Arthur's eyes, which looked uncharacteristically vulnerable despite his aggressive physical stance. Merlin wanted to reach out and push the hair back into place. He sighed. "I'm not sure I can tell you that."

Arthur's jaw set and his eyes narrowed a fraction. "Why not?" His tone implied Merlin better tell him everything and soon, because damn it, he was the prince.

"Well, it's actually not something I can explain. I'd rather show you," Merlin said. That was true, although the prospect of performing magic in front of Arthur, on demand, was rather terrifying.

Arthur's expression changed and his body shifted back. He licked his lips. "Really?"

Merlin nodded, not sure if he was capable of more speech on the matter. He kept his eyes locked on Arthur's. He wondered what exactly Arthur had seen of his magic.

"Alright." Arthur looked surprisingly calm given the circumstances, although his chest still seemed to heave with some kind of contained emotion. They stared at each other for a few moments. Apparently neither knew quite how to proceed in this situation. Merlin swallowed. He certainly wasn't going to take the lead in this.

Arthur started suddenly, as if from a daze. "Oh. Right." He thought for a moment, putting a hand to his forehead. "My chambers. Safest place." He flicked a glance down Merlin's body, then back up to his eyes. "You'll show me there. No one will know. I'll make sure of it."

"So you'll not tell Uther then?" Merlin needed to hear him say it again.

Arthur hesitated, his mouth tightening. Merlin frowned with concern, and Arthur, seeing the look on his face, blurted out, "No! No. Absolutely not. Where do you think I'd be if he found out I let my manservant...you know." He gestured vaguely - still couldn't say the word. "Or worse, found out you've been doing it without my knowledge." He shuddered. "No. You're safe." He took Merlin's hand again and looked him in the eye. There was that thumb again, dragging slowly across Merlin's palm. "Don't worry."

Before Merlin could respond, Arthur pulled him out of the alcove at a fast clip. "Let's go." Merlin had to do a little jog just to keep up with his long strides. As they emerged into the courtyard, various people descended on them, wanting to know more about the quest and how Arthur slayed the beast, but Arthur cut through the crowd like a knife, determination in his eye. Merlin boggled at the fact that, once again, Arthur was parading around all of Camelot holding his manservant by the hand, as Arthur dismissed everyone's questions with an imperious wave and a few terse commands.

As they wound their way through the castle's endless hallways, Arthur still pulling him along as he stumbled behind, Merlin felt his anxiety creep up on him again. He couldn't quite believe that Arthur simply wanted to see him perform magic. He kept trying to catch up to see his expression, to get a better read on what exactly was going on, but his handsome profile didn't give him any clues. Nonetheless, there was something reassuring in Arthur's steady, relentless grip, in his occasional backwards glance at Merlin, as if to confirm his servant was still there and hadn't magically vanished into the ether.

"Keep up, Merlin. Don't fall asleep on me now." Arthur sounded stern, but his mouth quirked at the edges. Merlin grimaced, preoccupied with thoughts about what sort of demonstration to give Arthur. He didn't want to do anything too flashy that might scare him. On the other hand, it should be something sufficiently, well, magical, to impress.

Arthur shoved open the door to his chambers and Merlin tripped after him into the room. Closing the door behind them with a decided thump, Arthur leaned back against it with an expectant look, his hands behind his back. "Well," he said. "Here we are."

Merlin gulped. "So we are." His voice came out high and thin. No way out now. He gave Arthur a half-hearted smile.

Arthur looked at him, assessing. "You're a powerful sorcerer, Merlin." He pushed himself off the door, halfway to Merlin, who backed up, hitting the edge of the table with the back of his thighs. "The way you dealt with that beast today. Impressive." Arthur stopped a couple of feet in front of him. His hands were at his sides, clenched into fists. Once again there was an air of restrained intensity to him. Merlin could see a muscle jump in his jaw and his own stomach knotted even tighter.

"So you weren't out that whole time, then." Merlin had been too busy trying to save their arses to notice.

"No." Arthur's gaze flickered over Merlin's face and neck. "I woke up in time to see you kill the creature." He paused, his lips thin and tight. "I've suspected it before. There've been too many strange coincidences, too many things I couldn't remember doing."

"Oh." Merlin didn't know what to say. On the one hand, it was a relief to have it all out in the open. On the other hand, it was awkward for Arthur to discover he hadn't actually performed all the daring feats of bravery he'd been credited with. Not to mention he'd been saved by his secretly-a-sorcerer servant. But the hand-holding seemed to indicate Arthur was managing it with grace instead of his prattish ways of old, which gave Merlin hope that this was all going to come out right in the end. Nonetheless, Merlin felt like he had to say _something_. He couldn't avoid admitting it now. "Well, you were right. I've used magic to save your life more than once."

There, he'd said it. Arthur's face collapsed just a bit, hearing Merlin confirm it and he exhaled loudly, then looked away from Merlin, rubbing a hand over his face. There were some moments of uncomfortable silence as they both seemed to mull over what had been said. Then Arthur stirred himself and took a step towards Merlin. Merlin shifted, on alert for Arthur's changeable mood. It was very confusing: one minute he seemed affectionate, the next vaguely threatening. Of course, that was completely normal for Arthur, but the stakes were astronomically high right now.

"So," Arthur said, clearing his throat and looking tense. "You were going to show me something. Go ahead." He kicked the side of his boot against Merlin's.

Merlin took a deep breath. They were back to that. "Okay, yeah. You sure?"

"Yes." Arthur swallowed and Merlin watched the up and down movement of his Adam's apple and the play of muscles in his neck. Tearing his eyes away, he scanned the room and noticed a vase of wilted white daisies from before their quest. "See those flowers over there?" Arthur nodded. "Watch."

Merlin tried to forget about the nervous look on Arthur's face and the uncertainty of the situation. He grounded himself, letting his awareness capture the dimensions of the room, its location in the castle, the bulk and weight of the building itself and the humming bustle of its populace, the sun-baked warmth of its walls. He mentally cast a circle and gathered his energy. The familiar tingling began at the base of his spine and travelled upward, increasing in force as it rolled down his arms and legs. He saw the daisies as they were when fresh, brilliant white and deepest yellow, the stems and leaves a lively forest green. He muttered a spell and reached his hand toward the bedraggled flowers, letting the magical energy spin out towards them. The room crackled faintly, like air electrified by a thunderstorm.

Over the span of a few minutes, the mottled grey petals lost their wrinkles, filling out and returning to their bright white colour. The centre of the blooms regained their vivid yellow. The stems and leaves went from black to dark green. There was even a slight fresh herbaceous scent in the air.

Merlin felt the magic dissipate from his fingers and he lowered his arm, becoming aware of his surroundings again: the red spread on Arthur's bed, the jug on the table, the slant of light through the window. The sweat and grime on his body; Arthur's ragged breath.

"That's how I do it," he said, feeling a tremor go through him, his voice rough and unsure. He'd performed magic in front of Arthur, by his request, and Arthur wasn't clamping manacles on him or calling the guards.

Instead Arthur was very still and his posture was stiff. His eyes were boring into Merlin's; a flush covered his cheeks, which were lightly sprinkled with golden stubble after a couple of days on the road. He came up to Merlin, very close. Merlin could feel his breath puffing warm on his face.

"That was amazing." Arthur's eyes were soft and full of wonder, gazing raptly at Merlin.

He was so near that Merlin could see the tiny lines in his full lips and the shards of light blue amidst the darker blue of his eyes. The magic was still zinging in his blood and Arthur's nearness quickened his pulse even more. Arthur's physical presence had always set him on edge; too much time attending to dressing or undressing him, and Merlin needed a walk outside to clear his head. Now everything was heightened by Arthur's new knowledge; Merlin was just starting to get a glimmer of what it all might mean. He didn't have to hide anymore from the one person whom he'd been most afraid would find out.

"Your eyes change," Arthur said quietly. "They were golden." He put his fingers very gently up to Merlin's temple and cheek, and Merlin inhaled sharply at the touch. "Now they're blue again." He let one finger stray down Merlin's cheek, over the jutting cheekbone and down towards his mouth. "So blue." His pushed his hand into Merlin's hair and cupped his head. "I wish I'd known before."

Merlin was breathing quickly now, and his throat was thick with emotion. "Now you know." Arthur's fingers curling around his head, the nearness of his body– it was almost too much after everything that had happened, so soon after using magic. He felt like he might faint and his eyes started to drift closed.

"You've hidden so much from me." Arthur leaned into him even more, their faces almost touching. "No more."

Then he felt Arthur's lips on his, a soft kiss that was barely there, as Arthur pulled him close by the neck and pressed his body into his. At first Merlin didn't respond, out of surprise – he'd never expected anything like this, although now he could see it had always been there, simmering below the surface. The lingering glances between them, the occasional brushing of limbs and the hot rush of blood, eyes looking away, the funny feelings he had when he saw Arthur naked – it was all about _this_. Merlin felt something melt inside of him at the realisation, as Arthur wrapped a strong arm around his waist, and flicked his tongue teasingly against his lips. Oh _yes,_ this is what he'd been wanting and he hadn't even known it. He opened his mouth to Arthur's and they both moaned with the fervour of desire long suppressed finally being let free.

Arthur's tongue slipped into his mouth, warm and searching, and Merlin opened wider to feel more of its sweet, slow glide. The wet thrust of it filled his mouth and he welcomed it avidly, wrapping his own tongue around it like honey. The intimacy of it unlocked something inside of him like a key opening a door, his entire body suddenly relaxing into Arthur's, wanting to touch as much of it as possible.

He'd spent so many hours attending to Arthur's physical needs, pulling tunics over his head and smoothing them over his torso, cinching belts and armour over various parts of his body, pouring water over him during his bath. He'd never let his gaze linger for too long, despite being extremely aware of his physical power and grace, the coiled strength in his flexed biceps, the firm smooth slopes of his chest. He may have occasionally let his fingers graze the skin, just briefly, eyes shyly fluttering up to Arthur's before hands and eyes slotted back to their proper place. He was ever the servant, Arthur ever the master, and the golden expanse on display when Arthur shed his clothes was forbidden territory - until now.

Now it was all his for the taking, Arthur's body impatiently moulding against his from chest to hips, Arthur's thigh pushing between Merlin's legs and his broad hands eagerly spanning his back. He could feel the hot press of Arthur's arousal thick against his own. The rush of sensation was like water gushing from a dry well, heady and surreal after everything that had already happened that day. They kissed with feverish want, desperate and needy, and Merlin was giddy with relief and wonder.

"Guess I always wanted this," Arthur murmured against his lips, a hand straying between Merlin's legs. "Just didn't know it."

"Fuck, yes," Merlin replied, gasping for air after a fresh onslaught of kissing. "Me too," he managed to say after catching his breath. He caught Arthur's gaze and it was like falling into a deep mountain lake he could happily drown in. "I didn't know either," he said, with amazement, the dark of Arthur's irises widening as they got lost in each other's eyes. Arthur was clasping him tightly in his arms as if he never wanted to let go and Merlin was twisting the back of Arthur's jacket in a death grip.

Merlin suddenly realised that the table they were leaning against was creaking dangerously and its edge was digging painfully into the back of his thighs.

"Why don't we, uh..." He nodded in the direction of the bed.

It took a moment for Arthur to respond, tearing himself away from Merlin's eyes to glance at the bed. "Oh. Oh!" He gulped, then his eyes narrowed dreamily and his hands drifted down to Merlin's arse. "Ooohh, yes."

Merlin grinned and kicked his boot against Arthur's just like Arthur had not long before. "Well?" Arthur just grinned back and then they were both smiling like loons. Merlin felt laughter bubbling up inside of him from sheer happiness. He made to move and shoved Arthur in the direction of the bed. "Go on then. _Sire_."

Arthur frowned at him. "I'm sure you're aware, _Mer_lin, that the Prince takes orders from no one, especially servants." He grabbed Merlin's hands and backed up to the bed. "But in this case, you can make up for that little bit of insubordination with some extra special services." His mouth quirked with amusement as he swung Merlin around and toppled him down on the bed.

"Is that right?" Merlin said, lying on his back as Arthur loomed over him, his hair temptingly tousled and lips red from their previous grappling. "What kind of services might those be?" His mouth parted and his breath came more quickly in anticipation. Arthur leaned his knees against the bed, bracketing Merlin's legs. Merlin couldn't help staring at the bulge in his trousers quite prominently on display. His mouth was suddenly quite dry and he had to swallow to moisten it.

"Extremely personal ones." Arthur lay down on top of Merlin and there was mutual sighing at the full body contact, erections and all. Arthur took Merlin's head in his hands and stroked a thumb across one of his cheekbones. "They might even involve," he leaned down to whisper in Merlin's ear, "_magic_."

Merlin turned his head abruptly, taken aback. "What?"

Arthur started caressing his chest, undeterred by Merlin's reaction. "I knew there was something about you, Merlin. Something different. From the start, I could tell." His hand slipped down to Merlin's waist and found its way under his shirt to bare skin. Merlin's eyes rolled up a bit in his head at the touch, but he quickly recovered, determined to find out what the hell Arthur was on about now. "Since it turns out it's magic, I'm curious about what you can do with it." He gave Merlin a significant look and his mouth curled up in a dirty smirk. Merlin stared at him, mouth open, until Arthur's fingers reached up and fondled his nipple, at which point he groaned and pulled Arthur back down for a full-on kiss.

When they broke for air, he said, "You are a filthy, filthy man, Prince Arthur. Why didn't I know this about you?"

"You were probably too busy trying not to look at me naked, I would imagine."

Merlin swatted him on the behind. "I was not."

"You're blushing!"

"I'm not! That's a sunburn from our travels."

Arthur snorted and started nibbling at Merlin's earlobe. "I think you had a crush on me," he said between nips.

"You mean you had one on me." Merlin's hands were doing their own exploration of Arthur's rather shapely backside. "I saw you looking at me."

Arthur moved from Merlin's earlobe down his jaw, pressing it with a series of kisses. "You were looking at me," he mumbled into Merlin's skin.

"Was not." Arthur was laving Merlin's neck with his tongue, and Merlin couldn't help arching into the delicious little sensations he was producing.

He sighed. "Let's just agree that it was mutual, shall we? Less talk, more action."

Arthur paused in his ministrations to laugh energetically, although it was muffled a bit since he still had his mouth closed on Merlin's neck. The sound of Arthur's laugh always made Merlin happy. Being pressed together so closely, he could feel the vibrations in Arthur's chest and that made his heart clutch just a bit.

"Guess it's pretty obvious at this point," Arthur said eventually. He looked down and gingerly touched Merlin's erection, looking uncharacteristically shy for a moment. He pushed his own arousal into Merlin's hip then put a hand on the side of Merlin's face, leaning over him. "You're something special, Merlin." Then he kissed him earnestly, and Merlin kissed him back just as enthusiastically, riding a tide of almost-bliss, a bubble of happiness welling up inside of him.

"So are you," Merlin said breathlessly, after a few minutes of passionate kissing. He added, "my prince," in a whisper, feeling slightly foolish but at the same time perfectly sincere. He'd do anything for Arthur, especially now that everything was out in the open. He'd trusted Arthur with his life before, but there was always that niggling fear, which sometimes burst into full-blown panic, of what would happen if he found out about his magic. Now Arthur knew and everything the dragon had said suddenly seemed like an actual possibility rather than cryptic nonsense.

He could feel Arthur smiling against his cheek, answering his whisper with a tight embrace. Then he rutted rather desperately against Merlin, and Merlin had to wonder if this was really what the dragon had in mind when he boomed imperiously about 'destiny.' Merlin didn't care a jot whether it was or not, as long as they could keep doing this. He could tell he was already in danger of falling hopelessly in love, as he tangled his fingers in Arthur's golden hair, hair he'd brushed up against 'by mistake' a few times while dressing Arthur, but never thought he'd be able to actually touch like this. The unreality of it hit him again like a splash of cold water and he shivered a bit, nuzzling his face in Arthur's hair just because he could.

Arthur was trying to get at Merlin's chest, peppering the small V of bare skin exposed by his neckline with kisses and his hands were once again exploring the territory under the shirt. "Off with it," he murmured, lifting up the hem of Merlin's shirt and nudging his arms up to get it off. "Need to see you." Merlin's chest was fully bare now and the sudden exposure brought his nipples to pert attention, a fact that didn't seem to escape Arthur's ravenous gaze, as it lingered on the small pink circles before moving on to take in the expanse of luminous bare skin lightly scattered with dark hair.

Merlin felt self-conscious as Arthur lightly traced a hand over his chest, flattening his palm over his pectoral muscles and dragging fingers down towards his stomach. "You're beautiful," he said tenderly, causing Merlin to flush. He wasn't, but it was thrilling to hear Arthur say it. He jerked when Arthur's fingers tucked under his waistband and brushed his cock. "So. Are you...normal down there?"

_"What?"_

Arthur cleared his throat. "Are you...? What I mean is, well, are sorcerers the same there?" He pressed his palm against Merlin's erection, still trapped in the trousers, and licked his lips. Despite the wonderful sensation and the incipient feeling of falling utterly and completely in love, Merlin couldn't help thinking that Arthur really was a pillock. He'd roll his eyes if he wasn't using so much energy fending off an orgasm.

"Arthur," he panted slightly. "You've seen me when we went swimming. _I'm entirely normal._," he said with some impatience.

"No special powers, then?" Arthur sounded vaguely disappointed. Now he was kneading Merlin's cock ever so gently, making it quite difficult for Merlin to talk.

"No, I do not have glittering, shape-shifting seed, if that's what you're wondering," Merlin managed to say. "Or should I prove it with a demonstration?" Merlin giggled, feeling decidedly lightheaded. Arthur stared at him as if pondering the possibilities of magical seed, then laughed too.

"Yes, I think a demonstration is definitely on order," Arthur pushed him down into the bed with a growl. "If I'm going to be intimately involved with a _sorcerer_," he practically shivered at the word and Merlin couldn't tell if it was from fear or excitement, "I really need to know all the ins and outs of your workings." He stretched Merlin's arms above his head, clasping his hands and basically trapping him. "So to speak." He swivelled his hips into Merlin's for emphasis so their erections rubbed against each other and it felt so good, Merlin had to close his eyes to concentrate on not coming right there and then.

Arthur kissed him again, and just before losing himself completely in the kiss, Merlin got an idea. Normally, he wouldn't be able to do this due to Arthur's superior size and strength, but using a tiny bit of magic, he was able to free his hands and roll Arthur over so that he was now on top of him, pinning Arthur's arms out to the sides. He smiled triumphantly. Arthur looked surprised then he grinned.

"Cheeky. I like it." Then he started again with the kissing, even more energetically now, bucking his hips up so Merlin could feel the full length of his erection rubbing against his own. Merlin whimpered. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. Hands everywhere at once, he wriggled on top of Arthur, pulling and pawing at his clothing. Then he got another idea. If Arthur wanted to see him use magic, by God, he would.

"Hold on, I'm going to try something." He murmured a spell, and the lacings of Arthur's tunic and britches were undone, the fabric starting to roll up to expose honeyed skin and toned muscles. Merlin finished the job by hand, dragging his fingers over the warm skin and glancing only briefly at Arthur's wide-eyed response. He tossed the clothing aside, and now they were both deliciously naked, skin to skin.

Arthur stared at Merlin, his body tense. His breath was coming faster and he clutched at Merlin as if he didn't know what to do with his hands. Merlin wondered if he had made a mistake. Had he gone too far? They stared at each other and Merlin held himself stiffly, resisting his every impulse to devour the man, now that he was lying on top of Arthur's _completely naked_ body, with its miles of gloriously smooth, taut skin, Arthur's cock resting heavily against his. It was too much to resist and his hands started stroking Arthur's sides as if they had a mind of their own.

"Oh my God, Merlin. That was... you're...I don't even know." Arthur's eyes were wide with amazement. He seemed to finally relax as he smoothed Merlin's hair back from his forehead and cupped the back of his head, bringing him down for a gentle kiss. "There's something about that, when you do magic, it..._does_ something to me." He rolled Merlin over in his arms so they were side by side, stroking his back and rear end so that Merlin arched into his touch like a cat. Then he wrapped his hand around Merlin's cock, and the intense sensation caused Merlin to gasp and jerk. "Can you do it again?" Arthur whispered. "Something magic." His fingers started moving over Merlin's erection – it was just short of heavenly - gazing at Merlin under half-lidded eyes. He looked utterly wanton and enticing, with lips swollen and used, hair in disarray. "Please," he breathed, fingers twisting irresistibly and tenderly kissing the side of Merlin's face.

Arthur's sudden avid interest in his magic made Merlin a little uncomfortable, but he was already floating on a pink cloud of arousal, and Arthur was making his shameless pleading impossible to resist.

"Okay. For you," he said, putting a hand to Arthur's cheek.

Arthur gave him a look of genuine fondness and Merlin wondered why he'd hesitated at all.

Concentrating on the feeling of Arthur's hand on him, he tried to feel it in his mind, his hand on Arthur's cock, the texture of it - iron overlaid by silk - the slide of the flesh under his fingers, the bubble of moisture at its tip. Somehow, imagining it made Arthur's touch even more exciting and he could almost feel the buzz of an orgasm beginning to grip his spine. Instead of letting it overwhelm him, he grabbed it, narrowing his focus, and used that little hum of energy to send out his magic, pulsing and spinning. It didn't have to go far, and he knew it worked when Arthur sucked in a breath and groaned, his twisting fingers pausing.

"Oh!" Arthur cried out, and his eyes grew wide again, taking in what was happening and letting his grasp on Merlin's erection grow slack for a moment. His gaze met Merlin's searching, perhaps wondering how he did it. As the magic did its work, his eyes drifted shut and his head lolled back, a small delighted smile on his face. It was hard for Merlin to maintain his focus on the magic while he could feel an orgasm building in himself, but somehow he did, and soon Arthur's warm release spilled between them, sticky and messy. Arthur collapsed against Merlin, kissing his chest over and over, an arm slung over his waist.

"Amazing, you're amazing, Merlin, amazing." Arthur muttered, as if to himself, burrowing in Merlin's chest. Then he nestled his head into the crook of Merlin's neck and stroked circles around his nipples, with an occasional foray down to his stomach, where he circled his belly button. All of which had Merlin practically mewling with pleasure. "Why didn't I know about this sooner? Why didn't we both know about _all of this_ earlier?" Arthur said. He kissed Merlin's nipples then licked them into attention. "Wasted so much time," he mumbled into Merlin's ribs as he made his way downward.

Merlin didn't notice if he said anything else, because Arthur soon swallowed down Merlin's cock and everything went black for awhile, dissolving into the hot, wet suck of Arthur's full mouth and the lascivious play of his tongue and lips, which was itself like its own kind of magic. Now Merlin could give in to the bliss completely without the distraction of performing magic, and after so much build-up, it was only a matter of minutes before he came hard right into Arthur's mouth. Arthur spluttered and grimaced a bit, then merrily plopped Merlin's cock out of his mouth. He smiled happily up at Merlin, come smeared on his lips, and Merlin melted inside just a bit more.

"Guess sorcerers are pretty much like the rest of us down there, then," he grinned, running his fingers lightly up and down Merlin's softening cock.

"Oi! I'm not like the rest of anybody," Merlin protested, pulling Arthur up for a kiss.

"True," Arthur said as he wrapped himself around Merlin, all warm and velvety, his kiss tasting of the salty-sourness of Merlin's come. "You are the most extraordinary manservant, Merlin." Their legs tangled together as the mad beating of their hearts slowly subsided and their wet skin cooled. Merlin's head rested against Arthur's arm and Arthur's hand curled around his hip. "Definitely completely unlike any of my previous manservants. And I wouldn't have it any other way," Arthur said, squeezing Merlin's waist.

Merlin smiled, snuggling into Arthur's embrace, feeling perfectly sated and surprisingly happy. The day had certainly not ended up as he imagined it would when they entered Camelot's gates earlier. Then he was just relieved that he and Arthur had survived their quest and all he wanted was a meal and a place to fall into a deep sleep for a few hours. Now an entirely new life opened up before him, less fearful and hopefully, a lot more cheery. He felt a little warm pool of joy spreading deep inside, full of wonder, surprise and delight at this thing that had happened between him and Arthur.

He couldn't help recalling the dragon's words about destiny. He knew this was part of it; it had to be, it felt so true and right. Whatever their ultimate destiny was, he knew this new connection they'd formed out of the revelation that Arthur knew about his magic could only make it stronger and more powerful. He cupped Arthur's face with his hand and looked deeply into those beautiful blue eyes, knowing without a doubt that this man would be a great king some day and that his role in life was to make sure that happened.

"Arthur, we're going to do great things together," Merlin said, feeling a thrill that went to his very core.

Arthur snorted sceptically. "We? Who's the prince around..." his words were silenced by the soft touch of Merlin's kiss, to which Merlin added a little magical zing as a reminder. "Oh," Arthur breathed, with a slight swoon. "I think you're right." He put his hand on Merlin's chest, and Merlin grasped it so their hands were joined. Arthur whispered into his ear, "My secret sorcerer," as he hooked a leg around the back of Merlin's legs. "Let's explore some of those great things right now," he murmured as he pulled Merlin closer and kissed him fervently.

THE END

  


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**Fic: Hands for a Bridge**   
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